


eternal sunshine

by kisumia



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Slight Chensung, and renjun is sunshine, but he is fine in the end !!, jaemin is angsty boy, renjun has childhood osteoporosis, with slight angst if u squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 03:12:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14708031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisumia/pseuds/kisumia
Summary: winter is harsh, and so is reality, jaemin thought.





	eternal sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> hello hi!! thank u for reading!! if u wanna follow me on twt it's @prettyjaemins !

_ Winter is harsh, and so is reality _ , he thought. His daily routine was simple: wake up (even though sometimes he wish he didn’t at all), go to school, come home, nap, maybe eat a snack, and then bed. He was like a robot, just moving through the commands of his day-to-day life without a single care or hint of emotion. Occasionally he would give a glance to Jisung, the sophomore he tutored every Tuesday and Thursday. It was a nice change, but he knew that it was going to be a routine he would soon fall into, and every enjoyment he had in it would soon be gone. It was the harsh reality of his life. 

 

Winter was the dominant season where he lived. Summer always came and went. Spring and Fall were short lived. For eight months of the year, Jaemin would trudge through the snow and ice to get to school. And for eight months of the year, Jaemin would trudge through the snow and ice to get home. Most of the days had heavy snowfall, which made it hard for him to see ahead of him.  _ Funny, it’s like it’s mirroring my future _ , he once thought. On some days, the sun would barely peek out of the clouds, as if trying to fight the clouds so it could shine. On those days, Jaemin would take a slightly longer route home to enjoy the small amount of sunlight. 

 

On the days where the sun shined brightly and in all of its glory, Jaemin would take an extremely long route home, one that passed this small, rustic-looking music shop. Sometimes, he would stop in and admire the beautifully glossy yamaha grand piano that stood in the middle. Other times, he would look at the violin and would extol their simple, yet delicate design. Jaemin knew the boys that ran the shop. Mark was the image of a skater boy, though his mind was that of a mini Mozart. But, Mark was shy when it came to showing his skills. Mark always said that it was because he didn’t want the attention, but Jaemin thought,  _ if he has the skills, then why not show it off _ ? Jeno is Mark’s childhood friend, and worked the shop because Mark’s parents often travelled the world to collect rare and precious instruments, their latest piece being the Hippolyte Silvestre (c.1864) cello. Jeno had a nice smile and a soft voice, one that would be used to read bedtime stories to young children. Although Jeno wasn’t the music prodigy as Mark was, he was by far, extremely talented when it came to the woodwind instruments, primarily the flute. Sometimes Donghyuck would come by. Donghyuck was a kid with a bright personality and a bounce in his step. Jaemin was always reminded of his little cousin whenever he saw the other boy around. Mark, Jeno, and Donghyuck seemed to be a tight-knit group, even at school as Jaemin noted. 

 

*****

 

Chenle was Jaemin’s roommate with a frequency to be extremely loud. It annoyed the older every so often, but it wasn’t too bad to deal with. Chenle was an honors student, like Jaemin. They often talked about their classes and helped each other out of a particular lesson was challenging from the day’s lectures. On rare occasions, they would walk to school together, though Chenle normally slept in because the winters were quite hard on his body and he got sick quite easily. Everyday, like clockwork, right as Jaemin was stepping outside of the dorm room to walk to class, Jisung would be waiting for the door to open, and Jaemin would let the taller boy in. He once stood at the doorway and watched the younger tend to Chenle. Jisung was careful with all of his actions, as if he was taking care of a newborn infant. Jisung would start by slowly waking his elder by shaking his shoulder gently, and as Chenle woke up, Jisung would whisper some soft, incomprehensible words (to Jaemin at least, it was comprehendable to Jisung and Chenle). As Chenle sat up, Jisung would rush to get the other’s medicine and a cup of water for Chenle to drink as he took his medicine. Jaemin shook his head and closed the door quietly and walked in the snow and ice to his class. 

 

As Jaemin sat in his art class, his professor suddenly spoke up, “find a new inspiration. Find something new to draw. It’s kind of tiring to see you guys draw the same things over and over again. It’ll be counted as your final project,” and all of the students groaned.  _ This shouldn’t be hard for me _ , Jaemin thought,  _ I rarely have inspiration anyways _ . 

 

As Jaemin sat at his dorm later that day, he started to question where this new inspiration could be. Anywhere on campus was immediately ruled out, since all of the other kids would just be flocking around.  _ Where could I go for inspiration? _ , he thought to himself. Apparently he wasn’t thinking to himself and he said it outloud, and that’s when Chenle and Jisung perked up from their movie under the small, temporary fort they set up with the single blanket and the bunk bed sides. “Jaemin, there’s a little art exhibit going in at the hospital nearby. It’s mainly for the patients there, but anyone is welcome. You could stop by there to maybe gain some inspiration,” Chenle suggests. Jaemin thinks it’s not half bad.

 

The next day, Jaemin consults with Jeno, who also said it was a good idea. Mark said the same thing. So, Jaemin took it as a sign and decided to go after classes ended for the day. He walked to the classroom to grab his sketchbook and his pencils and walked over to the hospital where the exhibit was at, and surprisingly, it was closer than Jaemin thought. 

 

The doors slid open and Jaemin caught a huge burst of wind that smelled like lemon cleaning solution and alcohol. He personally wasn’t particularly fond of hospitals, since hospitals usually mean death. He approached the front desk and asked about the art event, and the nurse pointed to the general direction ahead. Jaemin just followed and wished for luck that he would find it. Luckily, he found it quite easily, as he followed these little kids who were just bouncing on their toes at the fact that there was an art exhibit showing. He was quite pleasantly surprised by the artwork displayed. They were all from local artists, like himself. Some of the pieces were very detailed, while others were quite different. None of the less, they were all amazing in Jaemin’s eyes. As he was browsing around, he accidentally bumped into a wheelchair, which a boy sat with a cast on his left leg. 

 

“I’m so sorry,” Jaemin rushed. But the boy just smiled and laughed.

 

“Don’t worry about it, you’re all good,” the boy responded. Jaemin thought the other’s smile was quite breathtaking, and extremely bright. 

 

Jaemin tilted his head to the side, “you have a really nice smile. What’s your name?”

He say the boy blush and whisper, “Renjun. Huang Renjun. What about yours?”

 

Jaemin responded with a simple, “Na Jaemin.”

 

“Na Jaemin.... It suits you,” Renjun grinned, “You seem like an interesting person, Jaemin.”

 

Jaemin scoffed and responded, “I am probably the least interesting person you will ever meet.”

 

Renjun retorted, “isn’t it me that’s supposed to be the judge of that?”

 

Jaemin paused. He was taken back a bit by the fact that Renjun wanted to get to know him. That never really happened to the boy before and he was at a loss for words. 

 

“Earth to Jaemin!”

 

Jaemin suddenly turned back to the other boy, who gave him a concerned look, “are you okay?” to which Jaemin nodded.

 

“I hope I’m not being intrusive, but why are you here at the hospital?” Renjun asked.

 

“An art project. I have to find a new inspiration for a piece for my final project,” Jaemin said while Renjun listened with a nod. 

 

“Maybe I can help?” the other boy offered, so which he was met with a thoughtful face.

 

“Maybe you can. I’ll come by everyday. What room number are you?” Jaemin gave the smallest smile.

 

“146,” Renjun pulled out a small card, “hand this to the nurse whenever you come by. It’s a guest pass!”

 

Jaemin nods and pockets the card, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Renjun.”

 

“Can’t wait,” Renjun beamed. 

 

Jaemin waves a final goodbye before he heads back out.  _ Maybe this routine won’t be bad _ , he thinks to himself.

 

*****

 

Jaemin came back the next day and presented the card. The nurse smiled and lead him to the third floor of the children’s ward, which makes Jaemin guess that Renjun is probably still a minor. 

He approached the door with the blue plaque and white numbers that read 146. He knocked twice before entering, finding Renjun sitting on his bed with a little notepad. Jaemin noticed that Renjun now had a cast on his left hand, and he frowned slightly.

 

“What happened?” Jaemin asked.

 

Renjun turned his head and beamed when he saw Jaemin, “hey, Jaemin! Well, I fractured my arm because I accidentally hit my arm on the bed a little too hard.”

 

“Is that why you stay here, at the hospital?” Jaemin asked out of curiosity.

 

“Yeah, I have osteoporosis. Short explanation, I have holey bones that cause my bones to break easily,” Renjun explained, his eyes focused back on his notepad. 

 

“Are you still able to go outside?”

 

“Yeah! Though, not much since it’s always so cold,” Renjun smiled sadly. Jaemin stood there and thought about it. Everyday he would go outside just to get to class, and he dreaded it. But Renjun wished to be outside. He snapped out of his thoughts when Renjun beckoned him to sit in the chair next to the bed. Jaemin followed and sat down next to Renjun and looked at his notepad. From that, he could clearly judge that the other’s skill was tenfold of his own. 

 

Jaemin suddenly had an idea. He pulled out his drawing pad and began to sketch away. Renjun noticed the sudden inspiration Jaemin gained and just sat back to watch the other sketch away. Renjun slowly reached out to pet Jaemin’s head, but Jaemin suddenly looked up and Renjun retracted his hand, a slight blush spreading his cheeks.  _ I hope he didn’t notice that _ , Renjun thinks to himself. 

 

Over the next few weeks, Jaemin continued to visit Renjun. He got out both of his casts and was walking around and jumping around like a normal kid, until he kicked a bench and he was put in a boot. Otherwise, Renjun seemed like a normal boy Jaemin notes. Everyday Jaemin spends with Renjun, he feels like there’s a certain aura of happiness and sunshine that vibrates off of the other boy. He finds it endearing, and he just watches from afar. Chenle even mentioned that it seemed like Jaemin has “loosened up.” Jaemin just believes that maybe he’s just been less swamped with school. 

 

Renjun finds himself very light-hearted and full of hope. He feels less lonely, even if it’s just Jaemin. The nurses are nice and all, but they have other priorities too. He isn’t the only one here, and he knows that. But with Jaemin, Jaemin focuses solely on him. Jaemin gives him the attention. 

 

“Maybe sometime during the summer, we can go out and enjoy the outside,” Jaemin suggests one day.

 

Renjun brightens up, “really? I would love to go outside!” Jaemin smiles at the other boy’s reaction and decides to make it a plan.

 

Exams rolled by and Jaemin got a perfect score on the drawing he did. Jaemin didn’t show Renjun the final product, only bits and pieces. They were all “parts of a bigger picture” Jaemin said. Renjun was just curious about what the actual picture was. 

 

*****

 

It was the beginning of June and Jaemin’s phone told him that the skies were supposed to be clear. So he just left his jacket at his dorm and walked to the hospital. Jaemin was nervous, and the pace of his stroll showed that very well. It also didn’t help that he was chewing on his chapped lips. As he approached the door of 146, we heard a huge plop and a soft “shit” come from the inside, so naturally Jaemin flung the door open and say that Renjun accidentally knocked all of his jeans around him while closing the cabinet.

 

Jaemin chuckled softly and asked, “do you need help there, love?”

 

Renjun’s eyes looked somewhat desperate, so Jaemin sat down on the floor and helped Renjun fold all of his jeans and put them in the cabinet properly. “Thank you,” Renjun sighed. 

 

Jaemin held out his hand, and Renjun immediately intertwined his fingers with the other’s. “Ready?” Jaemin looks back. Renjun nods with a bright smile on his face, “as ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

They walked through the hallways of the hospital, the one where Renjun was all too familiar with. When they came to the front door, Renjun paused and took a deep breath before the breeze of the opened door hit him. He laughed as Jaemin led him out, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the cool breeze of the summer day. Jaemin looked back, and he smiled fondly. He loved the way Renjun’s face was always so bright, and how he took joy in even the smallest things. Jaemin knew he was the opposite, but he was slowly starting to see the joys in life, all because of one boy named Huang Renjun, who had Jaemin wrapped around his precious finger. The park was more beautiful than Renjun could think of. Everywhere, he saw young kids running around, blossoms and leaves floating in the breeze, and birds flying. Renjun sat down on the park bench and just enjoyed it while Jaemin picked some flowers off of a nearby tree. Renjun closed his eyes and enjoyed the peace that surrounded him.  _ It’s so nice… I wish i could experience this everyday _ , he thinks. Jaemin comes up behinds him and laces the flowers in Renjun’s hair, and Renjun turns around and beams at Jaemin. Jaemin swore his heart skipped three, four beats. 

 

In that moment, Jaemin knew. He knew that Renjun was his eternal sunshine. Jaemin knew that one day he wanted to take Renjun everywhere. He wanted to take Renjun to see everything the world had to offer and more because he knew that Renjun deserved the whole world. Jaemin came back to his senses and sat next to Renjun and put his arm across the other’s shoulders. Renjun just leaned his head against Jaemin’s shoulder and said, “I never want this moment to end.”

 

“I don’t either,” Jaemin responded because the truth was, he didn’t want this moment to end. He wanted this to be a routine for once. 

 

They sat there until the sun began to set and Jaemin spoke up, “let’s get you back to your room.”

 

Renjun pouted, but stood up, “give me a ride back?”

 

Jaemin laughed and nodded, kneeling down. Renjun wrapped his arms around the other’s neck, and Jaemin tucked his arms under Renjun’s knees before he stood back up, walking back to the hospital. Renjun rested his head on Jaemin’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to it. 

 

“I love you,” he whispered softly.

 

Jaemin blushed, but looked at Renjun, “I love you, too. More than you’d ever know, Jun. There’s so much I want to say but I can’t, because it wouldn’t be good enough. You deserve the best.”

 

As they entered Renjun’s room, Jaemin flicked the light on and set Renjun down on the bed in the middle. Renjun began to unstrap his boot and set it to the side before he reclined back, patting the side of the bed. Jaemin just shook his head and smiled before he climbed on the bed, wrapping his arm around his lover’s waist.

 

Jaemin was the one who spoke first, “will you be my eternal sunshine?”

 

Renjun, momentarily shocked, turned around and pressed a small kiss to the other’s lips, “I would love to. Under one condition, though.”

 

Jaemin was curious, “and what would that condition be?”

 

“You be my eternal sunshine, too.” the older one stated simply.

 

“I would love to be your eternal sunshine,” Jaemin smiled, pressing a kiss to Renjun’s nose.

 

*****

 

Jaemin hated routine. But this routine, visiting Renjun everyday, he could never hate. He looked forward to spending his days with Renjun. Jaemin didn’t mind if he had to sit in the hospital all day. The look on his boyfriend’s face was enough for him. Jaemin noticed that the summer days would last longer, and the winters, year by year, became shorter. Spring and fall were lingering around longer. Chenle and Jisung still annoyed him, but Jaemin would always just roll his eyes out of playfulness. Jaemin sometimes took Renjun to the music shop where he stopped by every so often. Mark was still like that mini-Mozart, Jeno was still a bubbly, smilely person, and Donghyuck was still the loud personality he was. Though, it didn’t annoy Jaemin anymore. Jaemin enjoyed it, and Renjun got along with the three of them very well. Jaemin also found out that Renjun enjoyed playing the guitar, and was exceedingly good at it. Sometimes, they would spend an entire afternoon in there; Renjun would play, Jaemin would watch. Every year on the first day of summer, Jaemin would take Renjun out to the park again and spend the day there. Renjun started getting better and better as he finally found a good food balance in his diet. His bones were becoming stronger and he could exercise for an extended amount of time without his legs and arms hurting. Jaemin said it was just because Renjun finally found a good diet, Renjun said it was because of Jaemin. Eventually, Renjun was discharged and came to live with Jaemin, who now lived in an apartment and attended university. He soon joined Jaemin at university. And through it all, they were happy. They had each other to lean upon, and they did. They supported each other through and through. 

 

_ Maybe reality isn’t so harsh after all _ , Jaemin thinks.


End file.
